Insecurity
by Elle Seren
Summary: Wally West is turning sixteen and is happy as can be. Artemis Crock has begun a new, crime-free life and couldn't be better. At least, that's what the rest of the world sees, but when these two teens that know a thing or two about putting on a mask to hide your insecurities meet face to face, everything changes for them. Suddenly, the mask doesn't have to be reality. One-shot AU.


**A/N: What's this? More Young Justice? YES! I adore this show. I adore this shipping. I may have written my Bluepulse fic first (JamiexBart -check it out if you like the pairing!) but Spitfire is my true shipping of choice when it comes to Young Justice! Although this is just a one-shot, I'm working on two other Spitfire stories, so please check back in with me again soon if you like this one! So without further ado, here's "Insecurity"! (I wonder where this original title came from..hmm...)**

**Disclaimer: Young Justice is not mine, it's far too perfect.**

******_Present_**

Wally could feel his palms sweating and his pulse rising with each breath. They were almost there. Almost to the restaurant. Surely he could wait that long.

But what if his nerves got the better of him in that time? What if he chickened out again (not that he'd ever admit to the first time)? What if, what if…

He wanted this. He had decided that he wanted this. They'd been living together for over a year now. She'd say yes. She definitely would.

There was no reason _not_ to wait until they got to the restaurant, only now the pressure was building inside his head, and he was pretty sure he was going to lose it if he had to walk beside this beautiful woman a minute longer without just shouting it to the whole world, and oh God, how awful would it be to ask in public and she said no?

"Artemis! I have a question!" He blurted, probably a little too abruptly and a little too loudly. She turned to face him, an amused expression on her face.

They had long-since gotten used to each other's antics, but they still never failed to amuse one another with their quirks and habits.

"Yes, Wally?" She asked loftily, offering him a sardonic smile.

"Well I…well…bench. Let's go over to that bench," he stammered, and she acquiesced hesitantly, going to stand beside it. "Now sit," he demanded in a shaky voice.

"Wally, are you feeling alright? We can just go home if you don't feel like eating out, you know."

"I'm _fine._ Just sit."

"But it's soaking wet."

"Artemis…"

"I'm going to ruin my dress."

"You don't even _like_ dresses. Please, just sit, Arty."

"Yah, but if I'm going to wear one I might as well _try_ not to wreck it. Who knows what diseases this bench has from horny teenagers passing by?"

"Well, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," he said uncertainly, and her eyebrow ratcheted up even farther, tossing long blond hair from her face. She had worn it down. She _knew_ what it did to him when she wore it down. This train of thought was not helping his nerves.

"You wanted to talk about…horny teenagers? Are you pregnant, Wally?" She asked and he nearly died of frustration.

"What, no I'm –oh come on, be serious, Arty. Just sit!" This time she heard the serious nerves in his voice and did as he asked against her better judgement, a shadow of concern passing across her face.

Pacing fretfully in front of her, he desperately tried to find the right words, the ones he'd practiced dutifully, but for some reason they weren't coming to him.

"Okay, so you know…you know we live together…and you know I love you and…well of course you do, that parts pretty obvious I guess, at least I hope, it is right? Wait, don't answer that, not yet, I just, I have to ask, um, well I have to let you know this thing I've been carrying with me, I mean not literally, it's just this feeling I have to get out there. You see we met, and you were there and you were perfect, only you weren't and that's what you made you so perfect, and" –he continued to babble, as she grew more and more concerned.

"Wally," she said firmly, cutting him off, as she made to stand. "I think you must have a fever. We should go home."

"No!" He blurted, pushing her back down on the bench. Biting his lip at her wary expression he suddenly dropped to one knee, withdrawing the little box with the ring out of his pocket with fumbling hands. She immediately went stiff, stormy eyes widening in shock.

"Please don't freak out," he begged. "I know we haven't really talked about this much, but…but I just…God, Artemis, I just love you so much, sometimes I can't take it! I love you like…like…like nothing I've ever loved before. I don't know. I don't know how to say it. I just really want you to know that I love you and I want to be with you, basically forever, or for however long you want to be with me. So…so I'm asking you to marry me. I've even got a ring, see? It's got an emerald _and_ diamonds in it, instead of just diamonds like boring, regular rings. I thought it would suit you more that way. So…so that's it. I love you. And I want to marry you. And I thought you might like this ring, along with all of the dignity I've got left. So what do you say?" He asked nervously.

She stared at him for a minute, a curious smile slowly spreading across her face. Her grey eyes seemed to light up as she took him in, running a hand gently down the side of his face.

Instead of giving an answer though, she just said, "you remembered. How we met. You actually remembered that stupid, stupid contest. You really are a mad scientist. My mad scientist."

And he knew then what her answer was going to be.

**_Flashback_**

Wally grinned hugely at the line of girls before him, nearly dying from all the hormones roiling inside his newly sixteen year old body.

"Didn't think I'd ever live to see the day girls lined up from here to infinity all just for you. Nice ads by the way," a voice said in amusement. Wally spun to face his best friend, Dick Grayson.

"You are way too good at popping up out of nowhere," Wally grumbled "and you know those ads weren't my idea."

"Kid Flash, heir to the booming chain of _Flash!_ fast food restaurants, wants YOU, ladies! Come by his shop on First and Main and try to guess his favorite flavor! If you get his food of choice down to a T and can get through it in one sitting, then you'll have earned yourself free meals for a year. That's right, a YEAR. So come and join us and help make his birthday a special day!" Dick narrated all this in his deepest advertising voice. Wally rolled his eyes in embarrassment, shoving his friend childishly.

"I don't know why I even invited you. The events already half over anyways, no one's going to get it," Wally said irritably, and Dick just laughed, ruffling his friend's unruly red hair affectionately to hide his guilt.

While it wasn't his fault that he went to school on the opposite side of Gotham City, that didn't mean he couldn't feel bad for not being with his friend on his birthday as soon as possible.

There were just a couple…things he needed to pick up first.

And while it was true that no girl had yet been able to guess Wally's favorite food, much less get through the concoctions they thought up, it couldn't be so bad watching them wait around in line just for his birthday.

"Dude! Don't look at it like that. Look at it as though you're just too mysterious for them to figure out. Girls love that stuff. Besides, you know why I'm here. What sort of friend would I be if I wasn't around to revel in the glory of all these hot babes lining up to try and guess _your_ favorite food. After all, we both know there's only one thing you love more than chicks," Dick said in his most enthusiastic voice.

Wally's face seemed to take on a dreamy expression for a moment, as he thought of fast food. He might not always enjoy being the heir to one of the biggest fast food chains in Gotham City, but he did love food.

And he made up for the unhealthy pass time by running track and field nearly every day after school.

"What hot babes? All I see are a bunch of girls that want free food," a more feminine voice asked sharply. This time both boys jumped and that meant it could only be one person.

After all, there weren't many people that could sneak up on Dick Grayson.

"Come on, Z! I was just trying to make him feel better on his birthday!" Dick whined, spinning to face his girlfriend, only to see her forgiving smile.

Wally started to glance back, but immediately turned back to face the line embarrassedly when he saw the expression on Zatanna's face.

She had a flirty smile that was always reserved for one of her 'moods', as Dick called them. To say Dick greatly enjoyed her 'moods' didn't quite cover it.

"I know," she said with a laugh, kissing Dick gently to remove his pouting at her getting one up on him.

He really should have known better. Zatanna wasn't the type to get jealous so easily.

"Um, gross? Are you guys trying to sabotage the other girls' chances at winning this competition?" A snarky voice demanded, completely destroying the romantic moment.

Footsteps approached Wally, and he heard the tougher female voice add, "Especially when they've got such a…special birthday boy to impress. So you're Kid Flash, huh, carrot top?"

Gritting his teeth at her heavily sarcastic tone, he made a mental note to kill his uncle, the current _Flash!_ restaurant owner, for coming up with such a stupid joke.

Sure, they wanted him to take over the family business someday, but really, _Kid Flash?_ On his _birthday?_

"My name isn't Kid Flash," he insisted, spinning around to face his unknown adversary. "My name is Wally W-o-o-o-w…" his voice trailed off comically, as he took in the girl in front of him, jaw nearly hitting the floor in shock.

"Wally Wow? Really?" She asked, still not losing her condescending tone, as she fingered her long blond ponytail haughtily.

He wasn't exactly being subtle about checking her out but _damn._ She was one fine looking lady.

She was wearing a Gotham Academy uniform, which meant she attended the same school as Dick and Zatanna, but somehow he had just never looked at Z the same way in that outfit.

Maybe it was her exotic half-Asian features, or perhaps her smirk that said she totally knew she had him tongue tied, but whatever it was, it was _hot._

"No," he correct quickly, clearing his throat as his voice cracked slightly. "Um, no its Wally…Wally West. And uh, you are?" He asked trying to sound casual, but he might as well have had hearts pouring out of his eyes for all the confidence she was exuding.

"I'm Artemis…Artemis Crock," she mocked, holding out a hand. He lunged forward gracelessly to take it eagerly, nearly tripping over his own two feet in his haste.

"Careful Artemis, you don't know where he's been," Zatanna called teasingly, arms still wrapped around Dick comfortably.

"Oh no, Z. It's him who needs to worry about where I've been," she said with a small laugh, giving Wally a look that implied all sorts of things.

And he knew, he _knew_ she was baiting him, but he was also pretty sure he was nothing more than a beating heart among a puddle of goo at the moment.

"Be nice, Artemis. It's his birthday," Dick warned good naturedly, but he still cast a worried look at his friend's love struck expression.

"I will be, I was just teasing a little. Though he does already seem a little…attached," Artemis commented a little distastefully, shaking her hand that was still trapped between his to make her point.

"Huh?" Wally asked dumbly, as though coming out of a stupor. "Oh, yah, um, sorry. I mean wait, don't talk about me like I'm not here! I'm not attached!" He snapped, dropping her hand like a hot iron.

"Then don't act like it, Wow-man," she said cuttingly, and he turned brick red. She could practically see him turning from a hormonal teenager to a charging bull as they spoke.

"I'm sorry you don't like compliments, I was under the impression that you were a _girl._ Sorry if I was mistaken," he all but spat, and her stormy eyes narrowed dangerously.

He flinched slightly at the tensing of her posture, but didn't back down. It was his birthday, how dare she show up like she was Queen of the world and shove him around?

"Excuse me? You think I can't be female and not be attracted to you? Oh, you are _so_ full of yourself," she raged, flying in his face with a vengeance that had him back-peddling rapidly. "You're just like every other male pig, whining about being friend-zoned or about how girls should just fall at your feet when you compliment them. Well I'm not some brainless twit like the girl's making themselves sick trying to figure out whatever gross food it is you like. I can't believe I even let _Zatanna _drag me here in the first place," she snapped, glaring daggers at her friend, who merely looked up innocently from her phone with a small smile.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to introduce them?" Dick whispered nervously to his girlfriend, who simply laughed flippantly.

"Oh no, it was never a _good_ idea. That's what makes it so perfect and entertaining," she said, eyeing the sparring couple delightfully.

"Z," Dick said, struggling to stay neutral, "it's his birthday. Don't you think maybe we should…I don't know…_not_ try to wreck it for our own amusement?"

"Don't be silly, I'm not trying to wreck it," Z contradicted irritably, as though the mere idea offended her. "Artemis is my friend, and Wally is too. I would never try to set them up knowing it would be a permanent disaster. Just trust me; this'll turn out for the better in the end. They just need to…test the waters." Dick gave her a concerned look, but did his best not to be too skeptical of her seemingly mad plan.

Wally glanced over desperately at his two friends, only to see them whispering and realize that they weren't going to be much help to him.

This girl was like a raging spitfire that he had somehow managed to set off. It was clear she wasn't going to let him get away with anything.

"Alright, I'm sorry! Ack, geez, I…I didn't mean to offend you. I was just annoyed. Sometimes I speak without thinking, you know?" He said, semi-apologetically, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

He wasn't much better at apologizing than he was at picking up girls, but it was worth an effort. She already seemed to be calming down a little as he spoke.

Encouraged, he added in an extra-humble tone, "I just can't seem to put out the same way I can take in information."

Her expression stilled, and for a second he panicked, wondering if he'd pissed her off again –until she started laughing, loudly and unabashedly.

Geez, what was with this girl?

"So, you don't put out well, huh?" She questioned with a knowing smirk, and his ears turned bright red, glaring at her furiously.

"Oh, real mature, _Arty._ I didn't mean it like that. You sure know how to take an apology," he said with a pout that was accented by his furious blush that matched his red hair and blotted out the freckles that coated his cheeks.

It was hard to stay annoyed with her when she offered him a small smile, which was more than he had gotten so far.

"Oh come on. It was funny. You are right though, you don't really have a way with words," she said, and this time she didn't say it with quite as much malice as her other comments had held. She almost seemed to be appraising him for real for the first time.

"Gee, thanks," he grumbled just the same, eyeing her carefully for a return to her banshee behavior. Seeing that she appeared to have calmed down, he added, "I'm more of a science guy. You know, experiments, chemistry…that sort of thing."

"So you're a mad scientist?" She asked, arching one thin blond eyebrow at him, and for a second, he was certain he saw something like interest, if not respect there.

"I prefer to think of myself as an intellectual. Which is kind of a problem for wooing ladies and running the cheesiest business in town," Wally said morosely, staring out at the long line of women.

To his surprise, she laughed at his bluntness. He stared back at her, curious and a little uneasy. Whoever this girl –_woman,_ was she wasn't like anyone he'd ever met before, female or male.

She was fierce, blunt, and quick to rebuke. And she _liked it_ when he was frankly honest, which most people found irritating.

"Well, I think it's good when a guy speaks his mind. It shows he's actually got some balls…you _do_ have balls, don't you?" She asked innocently, and he flinched, but couldn't help a weak smile.

"I guess I sort of had that one coming," he admitted grudgingly, and her smile grew even more.

"You're right you did!" Zatanna suddenly said, rejoining the conversation, as though she had never left it. "Acting like all us girls are the same, shame on you, Wally. Even if it is your birthday, that's no way to treat your date."

"Date?" They both shouted in unison, fragile alliance shattered with those words.

"I did _not_ say I would go on a date with him!" Artemis exclaimed furiously, glaring daggers into her friend's mischievous face. Dick edged away from his girlfriend slowly, more than happy to let her take the fall for this one. "All you said was that I had to come because it was your friend's birthday and he was throwing some sort of competition. You didn't think many girls would show up for it, so you wanted me to help out," she added vengefully, unintentionally earning a displeased sound from Wally.

"Wait, you didn't think anyone would come? Come on, my picture wasn't even _on_ the advertisement," Wally complained, running a hand through his shockingly red hair in distress.

"I didn't mean it like that, Wally," Zatanna assured him with a vague hand gesture, failing to qualify what exactly she _had_ meant, "I just wanted to convince Artemis to come. Besides, anything to do with you and food is practically a date to you, Wally."

"That…that is not true! I do more than just eat on my dates! Which I have had _plenty_ of, for your information! I just don't tell you about all of them," he blurted, turning progressively redder, as he defended his 'manliness'.

Dick coughed the word "liar" and Wally practically glared the word "traitor" back at him.

"This is not about your love life, Wallace; this is about her trying to trick me into dating. She thinks I don't _get around_ enough because I don't 'trust' guys or some romantic crap like that. She doesn't believe me when I say it's because none of the stupid guys I know could ever keep up with me," Artemis explained, not realizing the way her words sounded. Wally was beginning to believe she was no poet either, for all her thoughtlessly cutting remarks.

"Okay, one, it's my birthday, this is totally about me, they're just trying to set me up because they don't think _I _can get enough action on my own _which I can_. And furthermore, I could keep up with you, any day, anytime, blonde!" He retorted, a competitive edge, not unlike what he felt on the track field creeping into his voice.

"Oh please, you, keep up with me? I've been ten steps ahead of you this whole time," she bragged, and he was sure he could feel steam coming out of his ears. She was infuriating!

"Believe what you want, you're just another rich kid from Gotham Academy that thinks she's smarter than everyone else," he dug, and he saw the same rage cross her face as it had when he insulted women. He knew immediately he'd said something wrong, again.

"I _earned_ my way to Gotham Academy for your information. I'm there on _scholarship._ And you can hardly talk; you're the heir to this entire business!"

"Are you kidding me? Taking over this lame-ass business is the last thing I want to do with my life. Do you know how tiring it gets being called Kid Flash everywhere I go? Do you think anyone ever asked if I even wanted to _be_ the heir to anything?"

"At least you're not the heir to a criminal empire!"

"A criminal _what?_"

"_And_ at least your parents can run this 'lame-ass' business on their own. My mother's disabled. The only reason I'm at Gotham Academy is for her sake."

"Whoa, whoa, that's not being fair, how was I supposed to know" –

"You're such a _dick!"_

"Hey!" Both teenagers spun to face Dick, who looked truly and comically offended by Artemis' unintentional insult.

They both began to laugh as the tension was dispelled, glancing embarrassedly at one another.

After pausing for an awkward moment where neither knew quite what to say, Wally finally said, "I'm sorry for insulting you. I guess I don't really know anything about you. You're certainly not like anyone I've met before."

"I've met lots of guys like you before, but-" Artemis contradicted and Wally nearly protested. –"_But,"_ she continued, "obviously there's a little more to you than meets the eye. I thought you would have jumped at the opportunity to run this company. It seems right up your alleyway." Her voice was curious, inviting his response.

"It's not so much that I don't want to do _this_ specifically," Wally grumbled, "I just don't know what I want to do yet. Is it too much ask for the opportunity to figure that out on my own, rather than being pressured into something before I've even gone to college?"

She nodded slightly, her expression softening, as he showed a small shred of insecurity. All that humour and speaking-without-thinking was just a mask to hide who he really was: a sixteen year old guy who didn't know what he wanted out of life yet.

"You're going all sappy on me now, aren't you?" He accused suspiciously, and she rolled her eyes.

"You think you've got me all figured out, don't you? Well, you're not that hard to peg, yourself. I bet I could guess your favorite food right here, right now, and eat it without blinking an eye," she boasted and his eyebrows shot up, nearly disappearing in his mass of red hair.

"So you're willing to make the wager that like, fifty other girls have already failed at?" He goaded and she gave him a grin, reminiscent of a tigress.

"Bring it on,_ Flash Boy,"_ she teased, and he glared at her playfully.

Grabbing her abruptly by the arm, he dragged her to the front of the line, gently pushing past people. There were several unhappy murmurs, but he ignored them, intent on proving his point.

"Hey, Uncle Barry!" He called to his uncle who was personally manning the counter today.

"Hey, kiddo! I see you found yourself a special lady-friend," he called embarrassingly, and Wally felt himself turning bright red for the zillionth time that day.

"It's my birthday, why does no one seem to get that?" He complained quietly, begging whatever powers that be to make the humiliation stop.

"Well, Mr. Flash, I don't know about lady-friend, but I'm definitely up to the challenge. He promised to take me out to dinner if I got it right," Artemis said in her most innocent voice, and Wally's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Wha- whoa, I never said that! I mean, not that…I wouldn't…just, I never said that!" He sputtered, ignoring his uncle's hearty laugh at his expense.

"Looks like you got yourself a keeper, little man. She definitely knows how to call 'em," his uncle teased good naturedly, ruffling his hair from across the counter.

"For someone who runs the business, you'd think you'd know your own sanitation policy," Wally grumbled, shoving his uncle's hand away.

"So what'll it be, miss?" Barry asked with a twinkle in his eye. Wally rolled his eyes. Figures Uncle Barry would be more interested in a pretty lady than in sanitation requirements.

Artemis pretended to think carefully, looking up and down all the ingredients, before saying, "I'll have a 12-inch sub with the minimum fixings." Wally's jaw dropped and she turned to wink at him and say, "oh, and let's just add the last of his dignity to that, shall we?"

Barry gave an impressed whistle and began putting together her order, as Wally continued to ogle the strange girl in front of him who seemed so different and yet so similar to him.

"H-how-how did you…how did…"

"How did I know? Come on, you don't have to be a mad scientist to figure it out," she said with a smirk. "You may not be a big fan of taking over the family business, but your still part of the 'Flash Family'. You like things fast and efficient and you don't want to stick around any longer than necessary. What's more efficient than a regular sub? It was obvious that the line about being able to eat whatever you ordered was just in there to throw off the competition," she deduced easily and, if possible, his jaw dropped further, green eyes nearly completely round.

"That was so awesome, Artemis!" Zatanna cheered, running up hug her friend who looked, at best, uncomfortable with the contact. Wally filed that thought away in his brain for later questioning. Then again, he already had a lot of questions. What was that about a criminal empire she had mentioned earlier…?

"And you know what this means, Wally," Dick said, watching as Artemis received her sub. "You and Artemis have to go on a _date._" Wally swallowed hard, finally shutting his mouth, as he realized the implications of Artemis winning the contest.

"We don't have to," Artemis corrected, flicking her blond ponytail casually. "I just said that to embarrass him. I'm not going to force him to go on a date with me on his birthday." Her grey eyes widened innocently at him, and Wally nearly felt himself being sucked into dream land before shaking it off, more wary of her tricks this time.

Obviously, Artemis was a girl with a not-so-easy background. She knew a lot about putting on masks and pretending to be someone she wasn't to hide her insecurities.

But he was kind of interested in getting to know the girl she _was_ –the spitfire, with the wild temper, and the brains to beat out any guy in a pissing contest.

"So what you're really saying is you want to go on a date with me?" Wally commented slyly, tempted to put an arm around her waist, but remembering at the last minute the reaction she'd had to Zatanna's hug.

Obviously, she wasn't comfortable with 'sappy' stuff –or at least, she wasn't comfortable admitting it.

From the quiet smile on her face when she saw what he did, he thought maybe she did have a romantic side tucked away inside somewhere after all.

Of course, the soft smile was quickly hidden, as she said proudly, "Don't go getting a big head! I'm just curious, is all. I've never dated a mad scientist before." She paired the semi-compliment with a dramatic wiggle of her fingers.

"Well I've never dated a crazy woman before. So I guess we're square," he responded, seeing through her teasing easily this time.

"If I'm crazy, are you sure you want to go on a date with me?" She questioned sardonically.

"Are you kidding me? That's half the attraction."

They both laughed at their inane way of dancing around the question at hand. It was obvious they both were good at hiding their insecurities, but not so good at speaking their true feelings.

When their eyes met, though, Wally just got this feeling that no matter what a spitfire she was, he could trust her.

She knew what it was like to feel that sort of pressure, whatever life it was she had lead in the past. There was a sense of comfort and familiarity when he looked into her eyes, but also a sense of mystery.

He wanted to unlock that mystery. He wanted to learn everything about her. He wanted to solve the puzzle that was Artemis Crock.

"So…how about tonight at 6:00?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

**_Present_**

She smiled down at him and he smiled back, feeling his nerves dissipate.

"It was a pretty stupid contest…except that the prize was a lot better than I ever expected," he told her sweetly, in that honest way she had first fallen in love with.

"I was so nervous I'd get it wrong and look stupid. I was afraid of so much back then," she mused, expression far away for a moment, before coming back to the present. "I've learned a lot since then. Most of it, from you."

"You taught me a lot too, my little spitfire," he teased, and they both laughed remembering how he had admitted to his first impression of her on the date they shared that night.

"I guess I could handle being your spitfire forever…if that's what you really want," she added, not even a hint of insecurity in her voice.

She was all brilliant, beautiful, burning confidence, and he loved every single little piece of her. It hadn't taken him long to realize he would never completely solve the puzzle that was Artemis Crock, but he realized just as quickly that he didn't want to.

She was magnificent just the way she was.

"I do. There is nothing I could ever, ever want more," he said in a voice that was a little hoarse for some unknown reason that would never be mentioned or spoken about ever again.

Plucking the ring from his hand, she eyed it favorably, before sliding it onto her ring finer with a sigh of satisfaction.

Leaning down to him, she kissed him warmly, and intimately for a long moment, letting all of the poetic words of love and emotion that neither of them could quite figure out how to say flow between them.

When she pulled away, they both gasped slightly, feeling the relationship between them, like a tangible bridge between their bodies.

"I thought you'd never ask."

**A/N: Ta-da! So what did you think? Was it okay? I hope so! Also, in case you were wondering, this story is kind of how I interpret their decision to leave the team -only in AU. I mean, everyone changes. What you once thought you wanted, maybe you don't anymore. And sometimes people don't want to believe that, so they carry on and just pretend not to notice the signs. But obviously, Wally and Artemis had their reasons for leaving...even if only each other fully understood those reasons. Anyways, thank you for reading, please drop a review and let me know so that I will have some feedback before finishing my next two Spitfire stories! :)**


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